Claws // Colby Brock

💫 22 💫

☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎

This new 'relationship' thing with Colby was already weird to me. Waking up knowing that we'd pretty much (but not really) accepted each other last night ignited butterflies in my stomach that ceased to stop.

Blinking, I looked up at him as he continued to sleep beneath me, having shifted in the night so he was now holding me on top of him completely. I didn't think a single part of me was touching the bed besides the tips of my hair. I tried to shift away, but his arms automatically closed in tighter and he sighed in annoyance. Of course he was capable of that even in sleep.

I reached back to pry his wrists apart, subsequently falling to the side. He started to reach out for me again but I dodged his hands, rolling until I could place my feet on the floor. I looked back as he shuffled uncomfortably onto his side, curling his legs and readjusting his head. He was still frowning at my absence.

Which I found cute and weird at the same time. And my reaction alone confused me.

Eventually, I made it downstairs — dressed in red camo trousers, a thick belt with chains hanging down, a black crop top that had fishnet sleeves, and a pair of thick boots — to the kitchen, where I made an effort to feed myself. My eyes kept flicking to the back doors, where I could see the moonlight barely illuminating the garden. I waited until I'd eaten to slip out.

It was sorta chilly tonight, but that didn't stop me. I dropped onto my knees on the concrete, raising my head to the sky. The moonlight brightened, as a blanket of comfort completely surrounded me. I sighed in content, closing my eyes to enjoy it.

Then I heard a voice; her voice.

"You disappointed me, sweet child."

I flinched. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't accept what he did," I replied in my mind, refusing to allow anyone inside to hear my conversation with her. I had things I wanted to keep to myself, and moments like this was certainly one of them.

"I understand, that is why I am not angry with you. Your bond with him has grown greatly in a very short time... I'm proud of you, beautiful."

I found myself smiling as I opened just one eye to peer at the very moon she supposedly resided on. I couldn't see her tonight, but her voice was strong. A reflection of the bond I could feel expanding within me.

"I hope you did not miss everything else I said, sweet child. You are in for a long couple of months, and at times, it will feel as though it will never end. But I promise you, if you trust me, all will work out in the end. One way or another."

A few weeks ago, I might have thought those difficult months would have been because of my apartment or something else, but now with the threat of Aiden and Paula on the horizon, I understood a little bit better. She was warning me that it wasn't going to be as simple as the other jobs the clan undertook — this one was already more personal than a simple challenge of power.

Katrina didn't need protecting anymore but that didn't mean she didn't deserve some closure on what had happened to her at Aiden's hands. I intended to be a part of the revenge, to deliver his head to her if I could.

As I drew in a long breath, I heard the door opening behind me and glanced over my shoulder. The Goddess's influence left me in an instant, leaving me sitting on the floor in the cold for no reason.

"Already back on your knees?" Colby teased, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe. I rolled my eyes, rising to my feet. His face shifted into a more serious expression. "The... Goddess?"